AFI Life Achievement Award

Award given by the American Film Institute

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "AFI Life Achievement Award" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

AFI Life Achievement Award

Logo of AFI

Awarded for| Honoring an individual whose lifetime contribution in motion pictures and television has enriched American culture.
Location| Los Angeles
Presented by| American Film Institute
Reward(s)| Trophy
First award| 1973; 52 years ago (1973)[1]
Currently held by| Francis Ford Coppola
Website| afi.com
Television/radio coverage
Network| TNT

The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the board of directors of the American Film Institute on February 26, 1973, to honor a single individual for their lifetime contribution to enriching American culture through motion pictures and television.[2] The recipient is selected and honored at an annual ceremony, with the award presented by a master of ceremonies and, recently, the prior year's recipient.

The AFI's trustees initially specified that "The recipient must be one who fundamentally advanced the art of film and whose achievements had been acknowledged by film scholars, critics, their individual peers and the general public". The trustees also specified "That the work of the recipient must have withstood the test of time".

## History of the award

[edit]

Director John Ford was the unanimous choice of the board of trustees for the first award as he "clearly stands preeminent in the history of motion pictures."

President Richard Nixon attended the gala dinner at which Ford was presented the award on March 31, 1973.[2]

The board of trustees later amended the "test of time" requirement to enable the AFI Life Achievement Award to be presented to individuals with active careers, such as Steven Spielberg.[2]

## Trivia and firsts

[edit]

Lillian Gish was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1984, aged 90, becoming the oldest recipient of the prize; Mel Brooks was the oldest male recipient, awarded at age 86 in 2013. Tom Hanks was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2002, becoming the youngest recipient of the prize at age 46, and Meryl Streep was the youngest female, awarded at age 54 in 2004.

Of the 50 honorees eleven have been women: Bette Davis (the first female recipient), Lillian Gish, Barbara Stanwyck, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Julie Andrews, and Nicole Kidman.

Composer John Williams was the first award recipient not to be an actor or director.

Three sets of family members have received the award: father and son Kirk and Michael Douglas, father and daughter Henry and Jane Fonda, and siblings Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine.

Julie Andrews' award event was originally scheduled for April 25, 2020, with a broadcast on May 7 on TNT, but the event was postponed to 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the first time an AFI Life Achievement Award event was delayed.[3][4] The event was rescheduled for November 11, 2021, before it was postponed a second time on October 4, 2021.[5]

Nicole Kidman’s ceremony was originally scheduled for June 10, 2023, but was postponed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[6][7] Kidman is also the first Australian actress to receive the award, and the third non-American actress to be honored after British stars Elizabeth Taylor and Julie Andrews.[8]

## Televised broadcast

[edit]

All Life Achievement Award ceremonies have been televised on major TV networks and cable channels: CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, USA, TV Land, TNT, and TBS. Agreeing to appear at the televised ceremony is part of the AFI's criteria for selecting the award. The televised ceremony generates income for the AFI, no longer funded by the US government.

## Recipients

[edit]

The American Film Institute has awarded one person the AFI Life Achievement Award each year since 1973. The 50th Award was presented to Francis Ford Coppola in Los Angeles on April 26th, 2025. The event will be televised on TNT on June 18th with an encore presentation on TCM on July 31st, 2025. [9][10]

#  | Year  | Honoree  | Image  | Profession  | Age  | Date of Ceremony  | Network  | Award Presenter/Host

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | 1973  | John Ford |  | Director  | 79  | March 31, 1973  | CBS | Danny Kaye
2  | 1974  | James Cagney |  | Actor  | 74  | March 31, 1974  | CBS  | Frank Sinatra
3  | 1975  | Orson Welles |  | Actor, director, screenwriter  | 59  | February 9, 1975  | CBS  | Frank Sinatra
4  | 1976  | William Wyler |  | Director  | 73  | March 9, 1976  | CBS  | Gregory Peck
5  | 1977  | Bette Davis |  | Actress  | 68  | March 1, 1977  | CBS  | Jane Fonda
6  | 1978  | Henry Fonda |  | Actor  | 72  | March 15, 1978  | CBS  | —
7  | 1979  | Alfred Hitchcock |  | Director  | 79  | March 7, 1979  | CBS  | Ingrid Bergman
8  | 1980  | James Stewart |  | Actor  | 71  | March 16, 1980  | CBS  | Henry Fonda
9  | 1981  | Fred Astaire |  | Actor  | 81  | April 10, 1981  | CBS  | David Niven
10  | 1982  | Frank Capra |  | Director  | 84  | March 4, 1982  | CBS  | James Stewart
11  | 1983  | John Huston |  | Actor, director, screenwriter  | 76  | March 3, 1983  | CBS  | Lauren Bacall
12  | 1984  | Lillian Gish |  | Actress  | 90  | March 1, 1984  | CBS  | Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
13  | 1985  | Gene Kelly |  | Actor, director  | 72  | March 7, 1985  | CBS  | Shirley MacLaine
14  | 1986  | Billy Wilder |  | Director, screenwriter  | 79  | March 6, 1986  | NBC | Jack Lemmon
15  | 1987  | Barbara Stanwyck |  | Actress  | 79  | April 9, 1987  | ABC | Jane Fonda
16  | 1988  | Jack Lemmon |  | Actor  | 63  | March 10, 1988  | CBS  | Julie Andrews
17  | 1989  | Gregory Peck |  | Actor  | 72  | March 9, 1989  | NBC  | Audrey Hepburn
18  | 1990  | David Lean |  | Director, screenwriter  | 82  | March 8, 1990  | ABC  | Gregory Peck
19  | 1991  | Kirk Douglas |  | Actor  | 74  | March 7, 1991  | CBS  | Michael Douglas
20  | 1992  | Sidney Poitier |  | Actor, director  | 65  | March 12, 1992  | NBC  | Harry Belafonte
21  | 1993  | Elizabeth Taylor |  | Actress  | 61  | March 11, 1993  | ABC  | Carol Burnett
22  | 1994  | Jack Nicholson |  | Actor  | 56  | March 3, 1994  | CBS  | Mike Nichols
23  | 1995  | Steven Spielberg |  | Director  | 48  | March 2, 1995  | NBC  | Sidney Sheinberg
24  | 1996  | Clint Eastwood |  | Actor, director  | 65  | February 29, 1996  | ABC  | Steven Spielberg
25  | 1997  | Martin Scorsese |  | Director, screenwriter  | 54  | February 20, 1997  | CBS  | Gregory Peck
26  | 1998  | Robert Wise |  | Director  | 83  | February 19, 1998  | NBC  | Julie Andrews
27  | 1999  | Dustin Hoffman |  | Actor  | 61  | February 18, 1999  | ABC  | Jack Nicholson
28  | 2000  | Harrison Ford |  | Actor  | 57  | February 17, 2000  | CBS  | George Lucas & Steven Spielberg
29  | 2001  | Barbra Streisand |  | Actress, director  | 58  | February 22, 2001[11] | Fox | Sidney Poitier
30  | 2002  | Tom Hanks |  | Actor  | 46  | June 24, 2002  | USA Network | Steven Spielberg
31  | 2003  | Robert De Niro |  | Actor  | 59  | June 12, 2003  | USA Network  | Martin Scorsese
32  | 2004  | Meryl Streep |  | Actress  | 54  | June 21, 2004  | USA Network  | Mike Nichols
33  | 2005  | George Lucas |  | Director, screenwriter  | 61  | June 9, 2005  | USA Network  | Steven Spielberg
34  | 2006  | Sean Connery |  | Actor  | 75  | June 8, 2006  | USA Network  | Harrison Ford
35  | 2007  | Al Pacino |  | Actor  | 67  | June 7, 2007  | USA Network  | Sean Penn
36  | 2008  | Warren Beatty |  | Actor, director, screenwriter  | 71  | June 12, 2008  | USA Network  | Al Pacino
37  | 2009  | Michael Douglas |  | Actor  | 64  | June 11, 2009  | TV Land | Jack Nicholson
38  | 2010  | Mike Nichols |  | Director  | 78  | June 10, 2010  | TV Land  | Meryl Streep
39  | 2011  | Morgan Freeman |  | Actor  | 74  | June 9, 2011  | TV Land  | Clint Eastwood
40  | 2012  | Shirley MacLaine |  | Actress  | 78  | June 7, 2012  | TV Land  | Meryl Streep
41  | 2013  | Mel Brooks |  | Actor, director, screenwriter  | 86  | June 15, 2013  | TNT | Martin Scorsese
42  | 2014  | Jane Fonda |  | Actress  | 76  | June 13, 2014  | TNT  | Michael Douglas
43  | 2015  | Steve Martin |  | Actor, screenwriter  | 69  | June 4, 2015  | TBS | Mel Brooks
44  | 2016  | John Williams |  | Composer  | 84  | June 9, 2016  | TNT  | Steven Spielberg
45  | 2017  | Diane Keaton |  | Actress  | 71  | June 8, 2017  | TNT  | Woody Allen
46  | 2018  | George Clooney |  | Actor, director, screenwriter  | 57  | June 7, 2018  | TNT  | Shirley MacLaine
47  | 2019  | Denzel Washington |  | Actor  | 64  | June 6, 2019  | TNT  | Spike Lee
2020  | NOT AWARDED
2021  | NOT AWARDED
48  | 2022  | Julie Andrews |  | Actress  | 86  | June 9, 2022  | TNT  | Carol Burnett
2023  | NOT AWARDED
49  | 2024  | Nicole Kidman |  | Actress  | 56  | April 27, 2024  | TNT  | Meryl Streep
50  | 2025  | Francis Ford Coppola |  | Director, screenwriter  | 86  | April 26, 2025  | TNT  | George Lucas & Steven Spielberg

## See also

[edit]

* Cecil B. DeMille Award

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "History of AFI". AFI.com. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
2. ^ a b c "The AFI Life Achievement Awards". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
3. ^ "Julie Andrews to Receive 48th AFI Life Achievement Award". American Film Institute. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
4. ^ "AFI Tribute to Julie Andrews Postponed". American Film Institute. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
5. ^ "The 48th AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to Julie Andrews Rescheduled". American Film Institute. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
6. ^ Gardner, Chris (November 22, 2022). "Nicole Kidman to Receive AFI Life Achievement Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
7. ^ Tangcay, Jazz; Wu, Valerie (November 13, 2023). "AFI Gala Honoring Nicole Kidman Rescheduled for 2024 – Film News in Brief". Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
8. ^ Kreeps, Daniel (April 28, 2024). "Nicole Kidman Becomes First Australian to Earn AFI Life Achievement Award". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
9. ^ "Francis Ford Coppola Named as the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award Honoree". American Film Institute. October 29, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
10. ^ Chuba, Kirsten (April 27, 2025). "Francis Ford Coppola Celebrated for Prioritizing Art Over Money at AFI Life Achievement Tribute: "F*** the Bankers and the Backers"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
11. ^ "AFI Achievement". Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2013.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

AFI Life Achievement Award

* John Ford (1973)
* James Cagney (1974)
* Orson Welles (1975)
* William Wyler (1976)
* Bette Davis (1977)
* Henry Fonda (1978)
* Alfred Hitchcock (1979)
* James Stewart (1980)
* Fred Astaire (1981)
* Frank Capra (1982)
* John Huston (1983)
* Lillian Gish (1984)
* Gene Kelly (1985)
* Billy Wilder (1986)
* Barbara Stanwyck (1987)
* Jack Lemmon (1988)
* Gregory Peck (1989)
* David Lean (1990)
* Kirk Douglas (1991)
* Sidney Poitier (1992)
* Elizabeth Taylor (1993)
* Jack Nicholson (1994)
* Steven Spielberg (1995)
* Clint Eastwood (1996)
* Martin Scorsese (1997)
* Robert Wise (1998)
* Dustin Hoffman (1999)
* Harrison Ford (2000)
* Barbra Streisand (2001)
* Tom Hanks (2002)
* Robert De Niro (2003)
* Meryl Streep (2004)
* George Lucas (2005)
* Sean Connery (2006)
* Al Pacino (2007)
* Warren Beatty (2008)
* Michael Douglas (2009)
* Mike Nichols (2010)
* Morgan Freeman (2011)
* Shirley MacLaine (2012)
* Mel Brooks (2013)
* Jane Fonda (2014)
* Steve Martin (2015)
* John Williams (2016)
* Diane Keaton (2017)
* George Clooney (2018)
* Denzel Washington (2019)
* Julie Andrews (2022)
* Nicole Kidman (2024)
* Francis Ford Coppola (2025)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template